Wednesday, March 31, 2021

 

1706 steps – one of those days when I don’t think the telefonino is trying. I baked a loaf of bread. I walked around the garden with Archie (and up and down the steps). We did some gardening on the front step, sowing nasturtiums and salad leaves. Well, perhaps that doesn’t add up to much.

 

The sourdough tastes nice, and rose properly, but it’s stuck to the parchment paper it was baked on. I’m tempted to try this recipe again more or less right away – it consists of spelt flour plus some seeded flour from Waitrose. And this time, I'll flour the parchment paper. I don’t think I’ve had to do that before, but this loaf may have been wetter than previous attempts. Wet – or “hydration” as we call it – is a good thing in sourdough.

 

Audio Books works a treat. I don’t entirely like the voice and manner of the woman who is reading “Wives and Daughters” to me, but you can’t have everything. I seem to have some Audio credits, so I got another Italian book, “Lessico Familiare”. Perhaps I’ll try that next.

 

But the main thing is, it’s splendid for knitting-to, just as I hoped. I finished knitting the Polliwog, including the sewn bind-off, and I’ve dealt with most of the ends. So tomorrow blocking, and sending off that order to Jamieson & Smith. And giving some thought to how to wrap things up and dispatch them to London. I’ll send both shawl and Polliwog to Rachel, to hand on to her new grandchildren when she gets them.

 

Rachel got the new New Yorker, with the article about Ravelry, last Saturday. I was in despair when it didn’t arrive here even on Monday, but it came yesterday. I don’t think I learned much. Was it a mistake to try to eliminate the pro-Trumps?

8 comments:

  1. I love Audible, even though it is a bit expensive. It is perfect as a knitting companion. I learned the hard way when I ordered The Tulip Thief by Susan Orlean, read by the author. She had a horrible, grating voice. I had listened to another book by her, The Library Book, but it was read by someone with a wonderful voice. I now listen to a sample before ordering. I also discovered that I can get audio books from the Public Library, for free! Sometimes there is a waiting list for a popular book, and you have to complete the book in 21 days or it disappears from the Kindle. Maybe your library has this service.
    I now can see your Instagram photos. love the one of Perdita on your lap.
    By the way, I highly recommend The Library Book, which is a fascinating true account of the Los Angeles Library which had a terrible fire, and how the books were rescued.

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  2. I have some Audible credits and just purchased a book about the shipping industry, "Deep Sea and Foreign Going." I read an interview with the author about the Suez Canal ship and thought it might be worthwhile. We'll see.

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  3. =Tamar1:18 AM

    Finished objects! Huzzah!

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  4. Having watched the film version, i've just read "The Boy who harnessed the wind", a true story set in Malawi about a boy who taught himself how to make a wind powered generator. It's an eye-opener.

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    1. It is indeed, they had an interview with him on South African Television. He gave me hope for this country.

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  5. About Ravelry and eliminating the Trumpers--I thought, after Trump was removed from Twitter and especially after January 6, that Rav had gotten it right and much much earlier than any other site.

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  6. Anonymous9:09 PM

    While I read some shop owners were caught off-guard by some of Ravelry's surprise big changes, and faced difficulties, I agree that the removal the Trump fans was overall a big positive for Ravelry.

    So glad you have your second vaccination appointment Jean!
    Lisa RR

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  7. Ravelry's mistake may have been to have Groups in the first place. According to the article they were a problem from the start. I was there when they were introduced - they were not initially planned - and was not aware of how problematical they were. A few moderators were devoting their lives to keeping the peace, which I thought was crazy devotion and not called for from volunteers.

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